The cowl top ventilator is a component of a motor vehicle which operates to bridge the space between the windshield, hood and other body components of the motor vehicle while allowing for entry of outside air into the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle. The cowl must further operate to prevent exhaust and other vapors from the engine compartment from entering the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle. The cowl component must further operate to exclude water from the passenger cabin and from the engine compartment of the vehicle. In the prior art, such cowl top ventilator assemblies were typically multicomponent structures fabricated from a rigid structural material such as metal or a high strength polymer, and further incorporating a plurality of separate sealing gaskets. The multipart nature of these assemblies complicates the inventory, handling and installation of the cowl top ventilators, and can also lead to problems with the quality of the water or gas-tight seal provided thereby. As a consequence, such assemblies are costly and difficult to use.
As will be explained in detail hereinbelow, the present invention provides for a unitary cowl top ventilator component which is fabricated from a high strength structural polymer and includes a series of integral seals, comprised of a polymeric material, molded thereonto. The components of the present invention are preferably manufactured by a multiple shot injection molding process which provides for a tight, fusion bond between the structural material and the elastomeric sealing material. As a consequence, high quality, integral, permanently bonded seals are provided.